View full sizeLonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold' billows out over a rock pathway and lower-growing plants.Freezing cold, then parching heat; too much water, then too little: Over the course of a year, plants in the garden take a beating. Which makes us appreciate the ones we can rely on. These robust survivors turn up their noses at pests and diseases, they don't need staking, and they don't rudely elbow their neighbors.
Here are a few dependable performers for Northwest gardens, chosen by Dulcy Mahar:
Rubus pentalobus
:
This sturdy little evergreen ground cover spreads to bare spots without being aggressively invasive. It is especially useful for inhospitable areas in sun or shade.
Akebia quinata:
If clematis is the aristocrat of vines,
Akebia
is the peasant, perhaps because it doesn't have showy flowers. It does sport some pealike flowers in early spring and, on older plants, some scary-looking podlike fruit in late summer. Its virtue is that it grows lush even in fairly deep shade, although it can take sun. So if you've got a shady arbor, gazebo or pergola you want to cover, this is the plant for you. If it gets ungainly, it can be cut to the ground for renewal.
Chelone:
This flower known as turtlehead blooms throughout August and into September with perky pink flowers on 3- to 4-foot stems that don't need staking.
Chelone
flourishes in sun or light shade and likes to be moist.
Rudbeckia fulgida:
If you want a blast of color from mid to late summer, this will do it. 'Goldsturm,' a gentrified version of the black-eyed Susans of the American prairie, is a popular variety. You can extend the enjoyment even after the last petals fall, because the dark center cones are attractive in the autumn garden. This is a super, no-trouble performer for sun.
Fuchsia magellanica:
The woody fuchsias don't have the brilliant flashy flowers of annual fuchsias, but then you don't have to play Florence Nightingale to them indoors over the winter. They are truly hardy and can grow shrub size even after winters when they die to the ground. By midsummer, they'll be covered with small jewel-like flowers that will hang in there until autumn. They prefer shade and moist soil.
Ribes sanguineum:
It is one of the earliest to flower, and it blooms over several weeks. The foliage is attractive on its own, and it does well in both sun and shade. It's a Pacific Northwest native and comfortable in a dry spot, which sounds like a non sequitur until you remember how dry our summers (usually) are.
Viburnum opulus 'Compactum':
This neat little mounding shrub (about 4 feet around) has it all -- pretty leaves, white flowers in early summer and shiny red berries in fall. It's similar in size to Viburnum davidii but much prettier. Alas, it is not evergreen like V. davidii, which probably accounts for its obscurity. It does well in sun to semi-shade.
Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold':
Looks like a golden version of boxwood. Like boxwood, it can be pruned into a hedge shape, but is even prettier when allowed to grow naturally midborder, where it will limit itself to about 5 feet. Grow in sun or light shade. It will lose color if it gets too much shade. 'Twiggy' is a smaller version.
Rhubarb:
If you want a pretty foliage plant, don't limit rhubarb to the vegetable garden. It faithfully reappears each year to produce a mound of luxuriant glossy leaves. It seems to like being in partial shade. It offers another plus: rhubarb pies.
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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